Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-10-11
WOOD PRESERVATION.
the Method Successfully Adopted at tbs
Cbariestown Navy YARD.

For many years there were many
complaints and dissatisfaction with
modern ships in the navy. because of
their early decay. resulting from law
OF nature which has never been e tire
" overcome. Many unsuccessful efforts
have been made to do this, but thus
far practical tests have not demon
stratcd the thorough efficiency Of any
OF them. The process of preservation,
as applied Mt the Ciarles,own Navy
Yard. adopted in 1877. gives the most
satisfactory results. greatly increasing
The durability of the wood. The creo-
sote process was applied to several
ships, and, although meeting all re-
qnrcments as a preservatiye, it emit
ted strong odor which tainted all the
food on board ship, rendering it SO dis
tasteful that it could not be eaten. For
this reason it was found necessary to
abandon this process. The chemicals
used in the present method of
preserving do not smell bad. and after
exposure to air or water for few
weeks there is none whatever. 1t IL
admitted that this process is superior
to all others, and as it may be of inter-
est to many of the readers, here append
ed is given the method OF limb n pres
eryation by impregnation at the
Charles. own Navy Yarl.
Timber OF all dimensions is loaded
on cars, which are run into copper
cylinder six feet in diameter and eighty
feet in length. A pipe leads from the
bottom of the copper boiler to steam
boiler; this pipe is pierced with numer-
Gus small holes to permit the free es-
cape of the steam. Steam is then adj
mitted, which will thoroughly saturate
the timber, pressing out the sap. with
the exception of some of its albumen
parts, which, together with the con-
densed water, will ran off at the bot
tom OF the copper cylinder. The
steam answers the double purpose OF
driving out the sap, and at
the same time rendering the tim
Der. which as found in the mar
ket, can not be expected always to be
evenly seasoned, uniformly prepared TO
receive the impregnation. The gate al
the end f the boiler being hermetic-
ally scaled makes the huge cylinder
perfectly air tight. Now powerful
air pump, connected with the cylinder
is set in operation, for the double pur.
pose of extracting the condensed steam
contained in the timber and of extract
ing the air to form vacuum. Whel
the vacuum is establ' shed, the coppcl
cylinder is filled with a solution of sui
phate of copper, and by means of ;
force pump pressure Of from one
hundred to one hundred and twenty
pounds to the square inch is applied
After the timber is saturated with sui
phate of copper the rcsiduum is let of
and vacuum is formed again, and
solution of chloride Of bal'ium is adj
mttcd. This forms, in short time
chemical combination with the sulphat
of copper, forming insoluble sal
of sulphate of barytes, and the timbe
is ready for use.
The destruction of all wooden struct
ures in saltwater by the ship worm i
only question of time when the WOO,
has not been impregnated. When tn
temperature of the ocean is high thi
ship worm will destroy wooden struct
ures so thoroughly in two years tina
| they become thereby unfit and unsaf
for use, and have to be renewed. Al
; efforts 10 stop the action of these mi
crobes failed until this process was in
troduccd. Many failed partly becaus
the nature of some application wa
either such that they would not ente
into the green, sappy wood, or tha
they washed out easily by the action {
the water, and partly because such al
, plicatons were confined to an outsid
: coating. which, when removed trol
:. any one given point, afforded no pre-
a lection, for worm after worm then Ell
4 tered and the whole stick was quick
. destroyed. Even 10 case a whole pil
with sheet copper is only a temporar,
I though costly remedy, for only so lon
a AS the whole armor remains intact an
a incloses the stick in a water-tight mai
q ner is it protected.
q The nature Of the process here de
4 scrbcd is such that sticks of al
+ length, even when cut the same da!
g can easily be impreg aatel thorough
q from one end to the other. AMI I'll
q crystals prceipitate | along the insit
4 of the pores of the wood, as the rtsu
! of the combination Of the two cheml'
a ais, form coating inside the'
i pores, VIII ch neither can be remove
~ by mechanical action nor the action (
J. water, as sulphate of barytes is insol'
bic in water or acids. Soft wool, sue
AS pine, whitewood, beech. et'
which, when unprepared, only Ia
from Two to three years, has be-
is found when prepared by this proce
m % be in good and sound condition n
,e er sixteen years service. Railro;
ties which have been impreg nat,
), have been found free from decay aft
exposure for fifteen years, which ties
III fies to the efficiency of impregnatic
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